User blog:Joeaikman/Wiki Chapter 13 - The Finale
“Hey! Hey! Hey! Are you alright? I’ll phone an ambulance? Can you see me? Your eyes are open. You’ve been shot.” Billy’s eyes kept spiralling out of focus. He could see the face of a man. He was leaning over him. He had long bedraggled hair, but a kind face. He kept going all blurry. Somebody had shot him? Who? “Yeah. I need an ambulance! A man has just been shot outside of the police HQ. Come as soon as you can.” That was when Billy blacked out. He woke up some time later. The man that he had seen before was sitting next to him. He found that he was laid down, but in his own bed and not at the hospital. How had he got here? He had been… He had been with Frank, helping to give him courage. What had happened to him? Who was this guy? “Hey. Hey! He’s awake!” The door was thrown open then, and a girl stepped in. It was that Starla girl. The one that Frank had made him promise not to go after. What the fuck was she doing here? What was happening here? “Hey, Billy. Do you know who I am?” He tried to speak, but felt some pain flaring up, and so just nodded. “Good. You were shot twice. Once in the leg and once in the stomach. This is Kung Fugi. He found you. I found him, and we took you here. Dan is here too. He took the bullets out of you already. You’re gonna be fine.” - Alexa and Laura stepped into the police station. Teddy was waiting in the lobby, and Alexa shirked back from him slightly. “You can trust him, dear. Don’t worry.” Laura put her arm around her, and Alexa calmed down. She still wasn’t sure how to feel about Teddy. Her heart of hearts said that she didn’t think he was the killer, but there was still the unexplained documents, and all the secrecy. He was definitely hiding something. “Why did you ask me to come here, Laura?” Teddy looked annoyed at something, but Laura looked surprised. “Me ask you? I thought it was you that asked me.” “Yes. I apologise for the subterfuge, but we had to make sure that you came. We didn’t think you would take our names seriously enough, but we know you would acknowledge each other.” Dan, Hoagy and Carson then stepped out from behind a door, whilst Timothy came in through the front. Hoagy waved a folder in the air. “In here is the name and identity of the person that killed Drakan. I trust that you would like to see it. We would be willing to give it to you in exchange for the full truth about the death of Task Master. Deal?” - Billy was hobbling in an attempt to keep up with Starla, who was striding out in front of him. Dan Kore was with him, trying to keep him standing. He had told Billy that he should stay behind and sit the election out, but he was having none of that. This could be an important moment in the future of his occupation. Who would succeed Frank, and how would they choose to run this business? The Fugi guy who had apparently helped save him had also come with them. Starla had explained what they did to him, and he had wanted in, apparently, and so she had invited him here. She was going to stand as a candidate, so any extra voters that would choose her were bound to be a plus. He wasn’t sure who he would choose. The meeting warehouse was nearly empty when they got there. People had seen Frank leaving as a sign of weakness, and they probably jumped ship. Some of them would have gone over to the Drawer mob to work for them. It was just Eyes, Jorn, Pop and somebody that Billy didn’t recognise waiting for them to show. “Starla.” It was Eyes that stepped forward. Billy should have known that he would be one of the people standing to replace Frank. He always did have an overly inflated sense of importance. The two of them shook hands. Nobody else stepped forward. That meant that it was between these two. Starla or Eyes. Which one would lead them now that Frank was gone. Billy had been to just one of these meetings before. He had voted for Frank when Glisc got killed, and that was why Frank had named him a lieutenant. He had been a loyal follower since that day, but Frank was gone and they needed somebody new. “I think introductions are in order. This here is Dragon. He is one of our drug dealers on the street. I brought him with me. What about your stranger?” Starla nodded, and eyed up Dragon for a few seconds. “His name is Kung Fugi. You recognise him, right? He saved Billy’s life. I brought him with me. Any problems?” Eyes shook his head, and turned away, slowly walking over to the side of the room. Starla followed him. The others, including Billy, gathered together in a group. Eyes lead the procedure. He was more experienced than Starla, and had also been present for Frank’s election. “The two candidates are chosen. They should choose their second in command from the pool of supporters. Eyes chooses Jorn Holl.” Jorn inclined his head to Billy as he walked out to Eyes. Billy thought for a second, and realised that those two were very alike. It didn’t surprise him that Jorn had chosen to work with Eyes and not Starla. “Starla chooses Dan Kore.” The korean stepped forward then, and went to stand besides his partner. This was a tough choice. Eyes had more experience, but his second in command was too young. Was Starla too young for the post? Her assistant was more experienced, though. “Now to the voting. Would people like to pick their side.” The voting started quickly, with Pop and Dragon both going over to Eyes, and Kung going over to Starla. That was no surprise. Billy, however, was torn. If he went Eyes then he was betraying what he believed, but a vote to Starla would just tie the election, and Starla was too young anyway. He started walking towards Eyes, but then Starla spoke up. “Before you decide, Billy. Know the truth. I am Frank Claas’ daughter. I am the future of his family and his work.” Starla was the daughter that Frak had been talking about? Then there was only one choice. He had to do right by his friend. He walked to Starla. “So, we tie. What happens next?” Eyes glared at him from where he was stood. His voice was slow and dleiberate as he spoke. “In the result of a tie, voters from one side are encouraged to switch sides, so as to ensure a leader is chosen.” That was met with silence for a few seconds. Then somebody spoke up. “I switch sides. I change my vote.” Then Jorn walked across to Starla’s side, and Starla won her birthright and her place as leader. - Frank was sat on one side of the interrogation room, with Alexa stood opposite him, staring at him. Timothy is stood besides the door, watching the two of them in silence. Alexa took her place on the side of the table opposite Frank, and leaned back. She was trying to intimidate her target. “Can you tell me what this is about? I already confessed to three things that your friend over there accused me of doing. I assume you are gonna want to put me in a cell soon enough.” “I want to know all that you know about the death of Task Master. We know you were connected to the main suspect for organising the dealing of the drugs that killed Task. How much did you know?” Frank leaned back and sighed. “Fine. Yes. Brendan Raatz was one of my men, but he didn’t answer to me directly. It was a distant part of one operation. I don’t control who he hires as dealers. If I had known he was using an unstable boy, then I would have stopped it as soon as I found out.” “You’re saying that you didn’t know that Task Master was being used to deal your illegal narcotics?” “Yes.” “Was it your idea to pin the operation onto another teacher there?” “Yes. I let Brendan sort everything out though. I just told him how best to get out of the trouble that he created for himself.” “So you’re telling me you had no involvement?” “Beyond approving Brendan’s addition into the organisation I had none. I wouldn’t be able to name any of his dealers, had he not fucked up so monumentally.” “Did you send a hitman to kill Brendan Raatz?” “No. Someone else must have decided that he deserved to die. I couldn’t say whom.” Alexa stood up from the chair. “Right. Thanks for your cooperation, Mr Claas. It will be taken into account when you are tried and sentenced.” - Dion stared out across the river. Tears were in her eyes as she thought. She thought of her father and mother, one taken from her when she was young, and the other who had never really wanted her. She thought of User:Loygansono55Barry, her lecherous boss, and Norm, his devoted sidekick. Mostly, though, she thought of Shop. She thought of the man that he had been, and the man that he had been when with her. Had she changed him in their short time together? Was it foolish to think like that? “Hey.” She recognised that voice. She turned to see if he was really here. He was. He was stood right there in front of her. There was the semblance of a smile on his face, but he was pale and looked cold. Why was he here? Why wasn’t he as far away from her as he could be? She had murdered his sister. “I have been doing some thinking. I liked the man that I was when I was around you. You made me into someone with feelings, and someone who wasn’t just drinking and fucking all the time. I liked that.” “It doesn’t have to be in the past tense-” He put up his hand, and she stopped talking. It was his time to talk to her, she realised, not the other way around. “Yes it does, Dion. I can never love you. Not after what you did. I thought you deserved me telling you that. I wish I could let it go, but I can’t. I don’t blame you for what you did. I just-” “See her every time you see me? I understand. I knew what you had come for, inside. I know we can’t be. Can we still be friends?” He shook his head. “I’m leaving town. Coming back here wasn’t the right decision. It dragged up too many old things. It cost Jose his life. I have to build a new future for myself, and stop lusting for the past. I just wanted you to be the first to know.” She watched him leave, and then turned back to the river again. There were no longer tears in her eyes. Now they were running down her face. - The message had said to come to the roof. It had been signed by Banfa. Had it been something he had written to her before he died, that had only just been delivered? She had found it on her desk. She was shaking slightly as she stepped out of the stairs and onto the roof of the police building. There was a man stood by the edge. It wasn’t Banfa, though. Max Falcon turned to her. He looked as calm and as menacing as ever. She hadn’t seen him all that day. She had checked his office, but he had been gone. Timothy had told her that he hadn’t come in to work at all that day. He had a glass of scotch in his right hand, but put it down as he began to talk to her. “Have you been asking yourself the same question as me, Alexa? It’s so simple, isn’t it? Banfa missed it. He didn’t think. Why murder a despised man in secret, if you always intended for the body to be displayed publicly. Why not just kill him in plain sight? That one got me stumped, I tell you.” “Did you invite me up here to ask me riddles, sir?” Max laughed, and raised his arms to the sky. “No. Not at all, dear. I just wanted to know if you had worked it out yet. I have. I know who did it, but do you? How much do you really know about all of this, Alexa?” “I know enough.” She walked away from the door, but not closer to Max. She circled him slightly, so they were stood opposite each other, alongside the edge of the building. There was a three story drop to the side. She wasn’t scared, though. Orion would protect her if something were to go wrong here. “You are a very talented detective, Alexa. When Banfa asked me to name you to the force I gladly consented. I must admit now, though, that I had some ulterior motives in mind when I agreed. I needed to watch you.” “Watch me?” Max laughed again, but he didn’t take his eyes off her. “Do you not remember, darling? You were quite young at the time, if I remember rightly. You blotted everything out, but there was always the worry that you would remember what you saw.” Max turned and put both his hands against the edge of the building. He looked out over the town square, as a light breeze blew across his face, and then Alexa’s. “I abducted you, Alexa. I needed a witness. The fool messed up, though. He grew a conscience and ruined everything. He ruined everything that I had worked so hard to set up. You see, dearest, I set up the GIR murders. I picked out his targets and I invited them to the place of their death. The idea was that GIR would disappear, only for me to recover him a few days later, and be the hero. I would have got a promotion out of this town that god forgot for sure. He had to go and kill himself, though, and everything that I had planned was ruined.” She looked at him with shock. He had taken an oath to protect the people of this town, and he had sent ten of them off to their deaths for his own personal gain? Had he killed Drakan too? Was that what this was leading to? “Drakan worked out what had happened, but the two of us made a deal. I would overlook some of his shadier dealings if he overlooked mine. He was no saint, darling. I met him the night that he died. He told me that people were after him. I said that I couldn’t help him. If he died then that benefitted me, and if not… Well, we had our deal. That is why I was not surprised or upset by the news of his death.” “It didn’t help me in the end. Banfa started to investigate Drakan’s death. He got too close to finding out that I had been meeting Drakan. That damned visitor book… I made him cross my name out every time, but sooner or later he would have got there. That is why I had to kill Banfa.” Max laughed as he looked out at the town. He turned back to her, and walked a few steps closer. She was rooted to the spot. He gently wiped a tear from her face. “Alas, though. I seem to have developed a habit for picking poor assassins. Jamahl grew a conscience too, after helping to kill his friend. He wanted to come clean about his involvement, so instead I forced him to shoot himself. He did it quite gladly in the end. I think death came as a relief for him.” She wanted to lunge for the man that was stood so close to her that she could strangle him. He was stronger than she was, though. “You’re a monster.” He laughed. “This world is full of monsters. It’s time you realised that.” “Why are you telling me any of this?” He turned his eyes back to her. “Because I respect you, Alexa. You grew to be quite a hot little piece of ass. I couldn’t decide what to do with you after I realised you were starting to remember. Part of me really just wanted to abduct you again and fuck you whenever, but then common sense took over instead of my cock and balls. I think you deserve to know the truth before you die.” It took her a second to realise what he had just said, and by then Max was already lunging at her. His arm was outsretched, reaching for her throat. Then a black blur passed between them, and Max was screaming, falling off the side of the building. She watched him drop, as if it was in slow motion. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them Max was gone. Instead there was a person in a black hoodie stood in front of her, their back to her. She put her hand on the shoulder, and turned them around. She then gasped in shock as she saw who was wearing it, and she looked at the face of the person that saved her life. - The camera alternates between three scenes, now. One of them shows Norm walking up the stairs of the Town Hall, another shows Jorn walking along the corridors of the Holl family mansion. The last is Trent walking towards Tim’s door. The three characters enter the rooms at the end of their journey. Norm sees Barry and Matthew stood together at the window. Jorn enters on Starla sat at Frank’s desk, with Dan and Billy stood behind her. Trent finds Tim sat at his desk. Norm hands a letter to Barry, Jorn to Starla, and Trent to Tim. The various people open their letters, and then read it’s contents at the same time. “We have been summoned to the town square. Now.” - The town square is packed as Barry and Norm arrived. Some people turn to look at them as they got there. Duke and Jag are stood to one side, trying to stay out of sight of those around them. Starla is there, too, with Jorn, Eyes, Dan Kore, Pop, Kung, and Billy all with her. Tim and Trent are near the front, notepads out to start writing. Jude and Gregory arrive just after Barry. Timothy is stood up on stage. Hoagy, Carson, Kylie and Dan are stood near the front, too. Dion is stood to the side, with Shop stood on the opposite side to her. Matthew had come down ahead of them, to see what the summons was about. Dragon has dragged himself out to the event. Laura is stood by the side of the stage nervously. Teddy moves over and stands himself beside her. Alexa looks around at all those gathered from her place atop the stage. These were all the people involved in the recent events. She only saw him for a few seconds, but she could swear that she saw Orion smiling up at her, wishing her on. “People! People!” That was Timothy, doing his bit towards the announcement that was coming. She looked down at Teddy and Laura next, who wished her on with their eyes. She felt bad for Teddy. She was going to have to throw him under the bus. “I am here to present to you the new acting chief of police… Miss Alexa Ashley!” There were a few mumbles from the crowd, with some scattered applause too. She stepped towards the podium then, nervously standing in front of it. She looked out at the expectant faces, as they looked back on her. They didn’t know what she was going to tell them. She looked down then, at the cards that her and Teddy had prepared. “Max Falcon is dead.” That caused more mumbling from the crowd, most of it surprised. “He was pushed from the roof of the Police Department Building by Professor Teddy Lee. He was not a good man. He was not an honest man. He organised the deaths of all those killed by one Gir Life, and then murdered Banfa Munk and Jamahl Grimes, who he suspected of knowing the truth. He was a killer. He tried to kill me. Teddy Lee saved my life.” She watched as people turned their heads towards Teddy. Duke whispered something to Jag, and Hoagy looked at Carson, a look of surprise on his face. “Max Falcon was a corrupt man. He covered over countless breaches of the law for many years. He knew about the spreading of drugs through the High School, orchestrated by Frank Claas and perpetrated by the late Brendan Raatz. He kept files on all of these in his office, to use in leverage, or to use as blackmail.” Starla stomped her foot then, to attract attention towards the mob group. “And what is happening to Frank? He handed himself over to you to prove himself innocent of the Drakan murder. He came willingly.” Alexa hadn’t expected this. She hadn’t known how much Frank’s followers had looked up to and respected their leader. “Frank Claas may be innocent of the Drakan murders, but he is still responsible for a large number of crimes. He has handed himself over to the police for these also, and this will be acknowledged by us when he is tried and sentenced.” She saw Starla frown, but no further word came from her. She thought that it was a fair decision to come to. “Why have you brought all of us here, Officer Day?” “I am glad you asked, Mr Mayor. We are here to discuss more than the deaths of Jamahl Grimes and Banfa Munk. We are here to discuss the death of one Drakan, whose death started most of the events that have followed in this town, and most of them started on one night, where Drakan had six meetings with people familiar to us all.” She paused for effect. “It started with dinner, which he shared with Mr Jude Anson and Mr Gregory Wass. The reverend and an old enemy from High School. Jude was trying to bring Gregory and Drakan back together, to redeem them, and offer them a chance of seeing the light. Was that not the case, Mr Anson.” The priest was old, and he cocked his head as he talked. It was a quiet voice usually, but, like most priests, he had a talent for making himself louder when he wanted to be heard. “That is right, Officer. I talked with your former compatriot about this. I can vouch for the innocence of my friend. He was with me all that night.” “I do not doubt a man of the cloth. It is the next on the list that concerns me most. I wonder if Miss Icks was aware that Frank Claas met up with Drakan on the night of his death?” Starla shook her head. “I was not.” “Well, Mr Claas has been quite forthcoming with what happened between them that night. He thought Drakan had been stealing his money, and he wanted it back. He threatened Drakan with punishments should he not return the money. Frank Claas had a motive for Drakan’s death. But that isn’t where the story ends. Drakan then journeyed to the Fugi Shack, where the cameras were disabled, and talked with another. One Dan Master.” Dan was staring at his feet at that reveal, and countless eyes turned on him. They knew him as the brother of the dead boy. Most of them wouldn’t even be aware that Dan had been in town at that time, as he had been keeping it a secret. “Drakan knew that it was Dan taking the money from the Claas account, and putting it in the account of Dante Knightley. He went to him and tried to force him into retrieving the money. Dan couldn’t do that without risking his own life, but he thought of a way that it could be done. He pointed Drakan in the direction of someone who could get access to the Knightley Foundation. An estranged daughter called Sliver Pie Knightley.” Shop spoke up then. “My sister? How could he- Drakan didn’t- How could she be involved?” “I don’t know the extent of what they talked about, since both parties present are dead, but I can guess that Drakan supplied the information of your location to her, in return for her accessing the account and returning the stolen money. Sliver was more than happy to agree, and began on her plan to access the account, starting with the abduction and murder of Jose Fernandez.” “How could you possibly know all this?” “Officer Shalnot raided your sister’s hiding place this afternoon. He found evidence to suggest that your sister got her plan from Drakan, Mr Knightley. He also found confirmation she met somebody that night, at a time after Drakan had finished with Dan. I have decided this is enough to assume the two of them met that night.” Shop stopped talking, but scowled at the floor at the thought of Drakan using Sliver to steal the Knightley family fortune. She was a mentally unstable girl, after all. The prospect of Drakan using her in the way that he had was a sickening one. “That isn’t where it ended, though. Would you like to take it from here, mom?” Laura nodded, and stepped up onto the stage. She looked around the gathered crowd nervously. Alexa took her hand and squeezed it, to give her some encouragement. “I also saw Drakan that night. I was back in town. It was a secret. Only Drakan and a few others knew. He came to my apartment. I wasn’t alone there. My boyfriend was there with me. Drakan threatened him, and then he threatened me. Then I told him to leave. He was drunk. I- He left after that, but- But that was only an hour or two before he was found dead. I kept it secret because I was worried that somebody would assume that either me or my boyfriend had- Had killed him.” She burst into tears, and Dan jumped up onto the stage. He wrapped his arms around her, and held her tight. He whispered something into her ear, and she looked back out at the crowd, and slowly stopped crying. “I’m her boyfriend. We decided that we would protect each other. I couldn’t live without her- There were too many motives for me to want Drakan dead. I knew that people would assume I had done it.” Alexa stepped back forwards then, a thin smile coming onto her face. “You hit the nail on the head there, Mr Master. There were so many people with motives for wanting Drakan dead. At first it seemed like there was a seemingly endless list of people who had a valid reason for killing him, but that list becomes shorter when we consider some of the details. We know Mr Fugi didn’t kill him, and we can also remove Sliver and Dan, one of whom we know was in her lair at the time, and the other has an alibi.” “There were others, though, right? A whole host of people that we may assume were responsible. Drakan stole money from the Knightley family, and died just after the sole member of the family arrived in town. Also just after one of the few family members of the people killed by Gir returned. It didn’t occurr to me until today that maybe the list of possible killers was the entire point. Maybe somebody wanted multiple possible stories.” That caused some muttering from the crowd. What did she mean? That was what they wanted to know. They wanted to know whether she was accusing somebody. “Now, could anybody tell me who might benefit from a murder mystery that may raise national interest in his town? The Mayor? No. The chief editor of the struggling local newspaper, however…” The eyes of the gathered crowd turned to Tim Mitty, who was trying to shrink into his own clothes. “I don’t think you killed Drakan yourself, Tim, but I do think you were aware of the plot. I also think that you were caught off guard by the death, because it wasn’t meant to be happening for another few days at the least. Somebody was rushed into killing Drakan on the night that he died. Am I right? Tim stared at the ground for a few seconds before looking up at Alexa, hatred in his eyes. He spat his words out. “Fine. You got it. Yes, I was hired to help write a story about Drakan’s death. You don’t know what it’s like, though. He killed two of my friends-” Alexa interrupted him there. “Two people who made you money, you mean? Speaking of that, I don’t know if the rest of the people here are aware of the death of one Alan O’Malley, the vigilante journalist. He thought he had found out who your colleague was, so you killed him, right? You were worried after your compatriot had been exposed then you would be too. How quickly you became a killer, sir.” There was no response from Tim. tears appeared in his eyes as Timothy stepped forward and put handcuffs on him, before promptly dragging him away. There were no claims of innocence. No wails of shame. No calling out for revenge and blood. He was silent. He sobbed silently. A part of her felt bad for him. He had been dragged into a world that had changed him. If a person killed in cold blood, then had they always been a killer, or was a killer forged in the world that they all lived in? Had he believed that what he was doing was right, or had he cried as he did it? “So Tim Mitty did it?” That was the mayor talking. She shook her head out of the thoughts that she had got herself into, and found the entire crowd fixated on her. “No, sir. He knew of the plot. Somebody else killed Drakan. I worked this out today, also. After looking into all the people who met Drakan that night and their repective stories, I came to believe all but one. I think Gregory Wass has some explaining to do. You don’t remember the night, do you?” Gregory was as nervous to speak as Laura had been, and he had been put on the spot by surprise. “I- I don’t.” “I wonder why that is. Maybe you saw something traumatic that you blocked from your memory, or maybe you were drugged and did something bad. I think you were an accidental assassin, Mr Wass.” Gregory looked shocked. He gulped down a few time before speaking. “You- You think I killed him?” “Yes. I don’t think you murdered him, though. I think somebody followed Drakan on that night, and found him talking to five people that all had motive to want him dead. They were worried that their plot would be ruined, and the money they needed would be lost, so they rushed forward their plan. They drugged you and had you fight him. You snapped his neck.” Timothy came forward again, but was more gentle with Gregory. He didn’t use the handcuffs on him, and the big man went into the station willingly. “Then we have a simple question. Who has no motive for killing Drakan, knew about all of Drakan’s crimes, had the opportunity to drug Mr Wass, and also has a dire need for money? Well, that’s simple, isn’t it? Could you care to explain the rest, Mr David.” All the eyes of the crowds then turned on Jude David, the priest, and their eyes spelled accusations. He gulped, and shirked away from their gaze. “It was as callous a murder as anything, wasn’t it? You heard of all Drakan’s sins when he confessed them to you himself. You judged him as your lord should, and you judged that he deserved death. You hatched the plan with Mr Mitty, so that you could rake in the cash with a real life murder mystery that was never solved. You drugged Gregory during your meal, and after that you followed Drakan. Am I right?” The priest looked so small compared to the eyes of those who were staring him down. He was trying to hide from their gaze, but he couldn’t. Eventually, he just snapped. “Fine! I did it! Yeah! I got Gregory to kill him! None of you liked Drakan! He was a monster! He deserved death! All I was trying to do was raise a bit of money to rennovate the church! I was saving you all!” Timothy came forward for a third time and dragged the raving man away. The town was silent for a few moments, and then the Mayor got up on the stage. He coughed, as he prepared to speak to his townspeople. “I have some things to say. First off, I would like to congratulate our new police chief, for solving a case that seemed unsolvable due to the large amount of people who could have done it. Next, I would like to announce that, after I finish this term, I will be running for governor of our state, with Mr Matthew Pika as my running mate. I hope I can rely on all of you-” Alexa had heard enough then. She turned and left the stage. She went to Laura, who had replaced her tears with a wide smile. Dan was stood by her side, with Hoagy and Carson with him. Teddy was there too. “I’m so proud of you. He would be too.” Laura embraced Alexa in a hug, and the two of them connected for the first time since her childhood, as mother and daughter. Alexa smiled. Maybe everything would work out alright in the end. - “Justice.” “Not revenge.” “Duty.” “Not desire.” “Light.” “Not dark.” The camera zooms out and shows two individuals wearing hoodies. One of them is dressed all in black, the other all in red. They turn, revealing the angels of justice to be Teddy and Laura. A picture of Banfa is pinned to the wall behind them. “We fight for truth. We fight for the light, not the dark.” “Our job is done.” “Justice is served.” Category:Blog posts